Is 300h or a Merc? High mieage long runs =MPG?

[Bensjmain]

I Know this is a lexus site and i know you are all nice people so i feel i can ask a genuine question

 

Im in a real dilemma, I would refer to myself as a car geek, having loved cars all my life the last ten years i have found myself in a company car which is never as fun as owning your own car and buying something for the hell of it. 

So i am looking at a new car which i will get through the company on the new plate when it comes out on a "66" plate. I have spent hours...probably more like days working out complex spread sheets the MPG, BIK , Specs for a series of cars and everytime i end back at the IS 300H.  I have been to the show room twice now. I have also spent alot of time looking at Audis and Merc's im not a big lover of the BMW . I currently have a Merc CLA 220d and its a lovely car, the auto box isnt amazing in it and the diesel is a little noisy. 

But i do about 45,000 a year and quite often 200-500 miles in a day up and down and across the country, for me its all the tax and MPG im interested in which is why i picked the merc in the first place, for me claiming business miles its over a 2000cc which means i get top rate back per mile and i can easily get 56 mpg on a long run, if i try hard over 70 mpg is possible.

What im trying to figure out out is the Hybrid for me, i drive 80mpg on the motorways if i can ( i mean 70 officer) cruise control on and off i go.  Occasionally i will do it at 70 when i have time to spare but its not that often. As mentioned above its long runs so 100-200 miles one direction a meeting or two then the same journey home.

Im considering the new C or E class merc or the Is 300h.  Now ive calculated if i can get north of 45mpg as an average i will make twice as much back as i do on the merc. 

I only keep the cars a year then chop them in for the next one so if it really isnt for me then its only 12 months ( which is why im getting out of the CLA its to small and i should of taken alot more extras)

I have test drove a lexus and i liked it but i wanted to ask your experience as to what i can get on long runs. I do drive fast sometimes but really the average is trolling the motorway waiting for the day of full auto pilot.  Im looking at the F sport in blue, red leather and the advanced Sat nav. 

 

Cheers guys

 

Ben 

 

 

[200h]

Hi Ben

at the moment my fuel comsumption is 46.6mpg once the weather warms up it will be in the early 50's

my daily commute is only 26 miles / day maybe 18 miles on motorway and 8 miles round town

i stay at 70 on the motorway and i'm not afraid to floor it in sport and you can still return decent milage.

at 10000 mile service intervals the costs will be high unless you get a service plan

a basic service costs £245 and a full service costs £465 if you dont ask for a reduction,

so your annual servicing cost could be £1420.00 without a plan

 

[wh05apk]

Fuel economy is good, motorways are not best for economy,  at 70 mph in warm weather you will get about 55mpg, at 80 mph about 45-50, refinement and comfort is very good (no rattly diesel ) but servicing will hit you hard,  probably about £1,600 for the first 4 services. 

[rayaans]

Go for the Merc if you're doing that kind of mileage, no contest.

The IS will be getting you about 45mpg MAX at that speed. Problem is the servicing will be a lot.  You'll need almost 4 services in one year whereas you'll only need 2 for the Merc. You should be able to get 12k mile services if you're doing that mileage.

If cost isnt an issue, Lexus all the way for me. Not a fan of how mercs all look the same now. Having said that, the diesel in the E Class which is a new unit is better than the 10 year old 2.1l they use in the C class and CLA 

 

[Bensjmain]

The servicing was included in my merc well the first three of which the third is due now 45,000 .  I'm not too worried about servicing Don't they offer a deal where the first few are included? 

Anything close to 50mpg is great most journeys I average 58-60 mph in terms of the whole journey thanks to traffic a roads town that sort of thing so if we are closer to that 50 then great. 

[Zotto]

If you worry about real mpg, go and look at sites like spritmonitor or fuelly to have an idea... and if you like something more than a IS, go for a GS, I drive a GS300h and absolutely love it. Another interesting alternative could be the new RC 300h.

[Steve44]

Ben,  you'll struggle to see average 45mpg with motorway use at 80mph.

Have a look at my fuelly page,  link below, it shows my mpg over the last 18mths/49k miles/100+ tanks and the IS is averaging about 41mpg, best of 48 and worst of 35. This is a FSport too and I know that they did a few revisions to improve economy slightly,  but motorway economy is not its' strength. 

However, it is such a nice car to spend time in, I'd still think twice before going back to a rattly diesel when it comes up for replacement.

[Bensjmain]

Thanks steve, its only the trips im concerned over not a whole tank if you like, it might not be a true reflection but its how i work it out at the moment, my private miles to be honest im not fussed if its 20 mpg . I think your average over whole tank is pretty good, i have no idea what my merc is it only has one trip counter which i reset each day to record mileage. The only time i have ever recorded it is when i did a whole tank in one day on a visit to Newcastle/ Manchester and back which was 550 miles ( a tank for my current car) but that wasnt fair as it was all motorway so was 64.6mpg or something.  41.3mpg means on the trip i would make circa 8p per mile so thats not so bad :) which goes towards offsetting the BIK tax across the year. 

 

 

[Bensjmain]

The fuelly results are interesting though, have you ever looked at what it was on just a pure motorway run of any length?

 

 

[Zotto]

In spritmonitor you can give a look to single drivers and there is a statistic about the kind of roads they use, and many are   Germans too, with some motorways with no sped limits.

[rayaans]

45 minutes ago, Bensjmain said:

The fuelly results are interesting though, have you ever looked at what it was on just a pure motorway run of any length?

 

 

Pure motorway I got 45-48mpg and I drive pretty quick. Cruise control didn't help, mpg dropped slightly. Mine is also an F Sport albeit a 63 plate. 

[DJP]

8 hours ago, Steve44 said:

 

However, it is such a nice car to spend time in, I'd still think twice before going back to a rattly diesel when it comes up for replacement.

Obviously the financials are important but seeing how much time you spend in the car, what value do you place on the comfort and how you feel at the end of the day?

Plenty of new owners on here have said how much more relaxed they feel having spent time in the Lexus compared to their previous drives .

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve44]

Vast majority of my mileage is motorway. Depends entirely on how it's driven,  weather conditions and road conditions. 

Have done London to Leicester when all the roadworks were on the M1 during last summer and averaged 55mpg over 130miles. Did Glasgow to London back on January thus year, at a fast lick and it did about 36mpg. London back to Newcastle a few weeks ago, also cruising above the official limit was 38mpg. Yet Carlisle to Liverpool at a cruise set 75mph was showing about 46mpg on the car. That's in Eco mode too, the car trip over reads by about 4mpg. Driving style and speed make a huge difference I find, more so than a diesel. 

I get the HMRC std mileage rate at a current 19ppm. The car is costing me about 11.5ppm to run as a 40% tax payer, I'm very happy. 

[Steve44]

By way of comparison, work colleague has Merc C300h AMG line,  diesel hybrid. He can get 50+mpg without trying and up to 70mpg if he slows down and thinks about it, similar mileage and driving profile,  but there is that grring diesel background noise to think about....... It is still a nice car though to spend time in. 

[Bensjmain]

Thanks Steve that's useful to know.  That is exactly what I am looking at doing, I'm testing the merc today a trip from egham ( Windsor way) to Sheffield then Doncaster then back . Roads permitting I'll stick the cruise on at 80 

but that's the numbers I was looking at in terms of cost vs claimed 

[Steve44]

remember, its not just the fuel economy number that needs to be considered, depends on individuals personal financial circumstances, i.e what the car is costing, personal tax situation, how it is being financed, maintenance/repair costs, BIK, CO2 emissions, engine cc, annual mileage travelled, mileage rate able to be claimed etc etc.

The Lexus for me worked out significantly cheaper overall than equivalent diesel alternative, even though the upfront monthly payment is higher.

[rayaans]

Forget the C class it rattles like crazy. Knock that off the list. The new E220d has a new engine and it's much better in terms of quietness. Interior is on another level as well

[darrude]

I used to drive Leeds to coventry every week, same driving style as you and returned 53mpg (long 50 zone on m1 helped). Just been driving a brand new C180 (hire car) omg does that drink (in Germany though so was going quicker than in UK). Quieter and felt more solid than the Lexus, but I'm every other way (IMHO) the Lexus is better, seat comfort especially. The auto box in the merc was very unresponsive to sudden acceleration in anything but sport mode, when in short mode kept the revs really high. Nice car though, I was considering one when I bought mine, glad I went with the Lexus.

[Blisteringblue]

Company car IS driver here, 35K a year all motorway (currently at 61K on dash and 2nd Anniversary is June).

I sit at 75 on the motorway with cruise on and get 53-55 mpg in summer, and late 40s in the winter.   Yes servicing is a little more often, but I just book it for a Friday when I work from home and Lexus come and get it, and it comes back valeted 

BIK is the winner for me with this car though.   I also have spreadsheets and my IS grand total since I got the car is -£627 !!  Seriously, that is Tax - Business Mileage claimed (claim per mile, gave up my fuel card a few years ago)

I'm never going to get close with a flat diesel.  I do like the look of the new C350E merc though but I've another 12 months on the Lexus yet.

[Bensjmain]

This is perfect and exactly what I was hoping I have worked it all out and yes the bik along with what can be claimed per mile vs the diesel is far better anything close to 50 mpg is making money. The Lexus It is then I think !!!! Now grey or blue :-/ I like the red interior as well but at £2000 it seems a pricey option compared to adding a sunroof instead or something 

[Blisteringblue]

The Merc is going to have to be pretty special to make me want to change, at the moment I'm all set contributing next year and ordering an F-Sport in Azure Blue.  And this is the first time in 15 years company car driving I have ever wanted to keep my current car.   I will admit infotainment bugs me, but the car is so nice to drive.

[ganzoom]

17 hours ago, Blisteringblue said:

The Merc is going to have to be pretty special to make me want to change, at the moment I'm all set contributing next year and ordering an F-Sport in Azure Blue.  And this is the first time in 15 years company car driving I have ever wanted to keep my current car.   I will admit infotainment bugs me, but the car is so nice to drive.

 

Lexus really need to update the in-car tech of their whole range.

This is what comes STANDARD on a £13K Corsa.

• 7” colour touchscreen
• apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto (You can be sure its easier to use than the Lexus system)
• Bluetooth, USB, and aux in
• Hands free phoning

For £500 you can get their AUTO park function - That will automatically reverse park with no driver input.

For £1300 you get the 'Safety pack' - which you can add to any spec - not jus the top unlike in the IS300H

• Traffic sign assist recognises and displays speed limits and other traffic signs.
• Lane departure warning audibly warns you when leaving your lane without indicating.
• Following distance indication keeps you informed of the avoidance time to the vehicle in front.
• Forward collision alert senses when a frontal crash is imminent and warns you with a sound, a signal in the display and warning on the windscreen.
• High beam assist detects preceding and oncoming traffic, and automatically switches between high and low beam of the Bi-Xenon headlights.
• Side blind spot alert senses vehicles in the blind-spot zone. If you indicate to change lanes it flashes a warning in the right or left mirror.

So a £15K Corsa will have significant amount more tech and better infotaiment that even a top spec near £40K IS300H.

Come on Lexus, sort it out.

[rayaans]

8 hours ago, ganzoom said:

 

Lexus really need to update the in-car tech of their whole range.

This is what comes STANDARD on a £13K Corsa.

• 7” colour touchscreen
• Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto (You can be sure its easier to use than the Lexus system)
• Bluetooth, USB, and aux in
• Hands free phoning

For £500 you can get their AUTO park function - That will automatically reverse park with no driver input.

For £1300 you get the 'Safety pack' - which you can add to any spec - not jus the top unlike in the IS300H

• Traffic sign assist recognises and displays speed limits and other traffic signs.
• Lane departure warning audibly warns you when leaving your lane without indicating.
• Following distance indication keeps you informed of the avoidance time to the vehicle in front.
• Forward collision alert senses when a frontal crash is imminent and warns you with a sound, a signal in the display and warning on the windscreen.
• High beam assist detects preceding and oncoming traffic, and automatically switches between high and low beam of the Bi-Xenon headlights.
• Side blind spot alert senses vehicles in the blind-spot zone. If you indicate to change lanes it flashes a warning in the right or left mirror.

So a £15K Corsa will have significant amount more tech and better infotaiment that even a top spec near £40K IS300H.

Come on Lexus, sort it out.

But no one actually wants a Vauxhall though ha!

We could easily say - "Lexus, you need to sort it out and give us an 8 year warranty that beats Kia". The thing with those cars is that they have to offer these kind of things to seduce buyers into buying the car in the first place. You can pick up decent luxury cars for the same price as a £15k Corsa - they may have less tech but who cares - thats why they have to offer it.

BTW, by 2020 all Lexus models are coming with the Safety System + as standard. Expect a refreshed IS with it as Standard also :)

[Bensjmain]

If you look at Audi these days everything is an optional extra you can get better specs on a ford but it's a ford , which is why . Merc are the same even amg spec is these days just good looks and better seats you can pay another £5k to get all the boys you really want ! 

[Ian J. Parsley]

My guess - and it's only that - is that purely financially the Mercedes will work out better.

But it'll also be noisier and less comfortable. So, in your shoes, I'd go with the Lexus.